HOLYOKE -- City councilors Rebecca Lisi and Gordon P. Alexander said they voted against referring to committee an order that sought a district attorney investigation into the Heather G. Egan issue because the order didn't make sense.

Councilor Jossie M. Valentin refused to discuss why she voted against referring the order to committee at the Aug. 5 City Council meeting.

Egan had been head of the Law Department for slightly more than a year when she resigned April 29 for what Mayor Alex B. Morse said were personal reasons.

It was later learned Egan was paid $45,000 in an exit agreement that featured Egan and Morse agreeing to maintain confidentiality.

Councilors and others in the community have objected, saying it was wrong to deprive taxpayers of an answer about how their money was spent in this case.

Morse has said he made a decision in the Egan case he felt was in the city's best interest.

Ward 2 Councilor Anthony Soto filed the order requesting that the Hampden County district attorney investigate the $45,000 exit agreement for Egan. Soto said again Tuesday he did so in order for the city to learn whether anything illegal or unethical occurred with the agreement.

Soto's was one of four orders on the City Council agenda that night related to the Egan issue.

The vote to refer Soto's order to the Public Service Committee came after a a brief debate and was done quickly on voice vote with some voting no followed by a show-of-hands vote, and then the council moving onto other business.

Soto requested a roll-call to establish a record of how councilors voted but that was overruled.

Most councilors voted in favor of the committee referral. At least Lisi, Alexander and Valentin appeared to vote no, and that was confirmed by council President Kevin A. Jourdain and Lisi.

"I just thought it was a nonsensical order," Lisi said. "Basically, I just thought the order didn't make any sense."

Beyond that, she said, the district attorney does not have jurisdiction over such a matter — so, she believes the council should either have adopted the order without sending it to committee or voted to withdraw the order.

"Why take up time in committee?" Lisi said.

Alexander said, "I personally felt that there’s nothing to investigate and that there’s no sense in referring an order to committee that has no merit. The rationale behind the decisions made regarding Egan were vetted in executive session of the council, questions were answered and the issue is, to my mind, a closed case."

Valentin has twice declined comment requests, including one made to her Thursday (Aug. 7), when asked to give her position on the Heather Egan issue, an issue that Soto and others say is a concern in the community.

"I have no comment. If I change my mind, I'll let you know," Valentin said in a text message.

It is rare for a city councilor here to opt against commenting on an issue, especially a vote made in a public meeting. Soto said that's why he sought the roll-call of how councilors voted on Aug. 5 and he questioned Valentin's lack of an explanation.

"I'm sorry to hear that Jossie feels that way....I don't understand how she can decline to comment on an issue like that," Soto said.

Jourdain said he voted to refer the order to committee as a professional courtesy to a councilor seeking information.

"I voted for it just to get the information. I want to see where Soto wants to go with it," Jourdain said.